As of March 2024, the estimated population of Serbia is 7,149,077 people.
The currency in Serbia is the Serbian Dinar (RSD). The currency symbol is дин.
Employment contracts concluded for indefinite term are considered permanent. Contracts that are not made in writing are also considered to be made for indefinite term. They can include a trial period. Employees are entitled to paid leave, social insurance, healthcare, material security during temporary unemployment, etc.
Employment contracts must be concluded in writing in Serbia and signed by both employers and employees. They are made in at least 3 copies, 1 of which must be given to the employee, and 2 copies are kept by the employer. Employment contracts contain information on identities and address of both parties, name and description of job, working hours, salary and benefits, leave, etc. They can also contain non-competition clause, established only if there are conditions for the employee to acquire new, particularly important technological knowledge, a wide circle of business partners or to learn important business information and secrets by working for the employer for a maximum of 1 year.
Employers in Serbia can hire temporary employees to perform temporary and occasional tasks under a written contract. They can also use temporary employment agencies to hire temporary staff. Such agencies must have a permit to provide their services. The permit is issued for a period of 5 years. The total number of temporary employees cannot be more than 10% of the employer's workforce. Temporary employees have the right to the same working conditions as comparable employees at the user employer's workplace, such as overtime pay, duration and schedule of work, safety and health, rest breaks, elements of wages, etc. The agency cannot assign a fixed-term employee who was previously in a fixed-term employment relationship with the same user employer for a total duration of more than 24 months. Temporary employment agencies cannot be used to hire staff to replace striking employees or redundant employees, or for the purpose of assigning the employees to another agency.
Indefinite-term employment contracts can include probationary periods of up to 6 months. During probation, employers can terminate the contract by giving at least 5 days' notice with a justified cause. Employees who do not demonstrate adequate work and professional skills during the trial period will have their contract terminated on the day of the expiry of the term specified in the employment contract.
Full-time work is 40 hours per week or 8 hours a day. A general act can establish a shorter work week than 40 hours per week, but not shorter than 36 hours per week. For employees under 18 years of age, working hours must not exceed 35 hours a week or 8 hours a day. For employees working in particularly difficult, strenuous, and health-damaging jobs, working hours are reduced in proportion to the harmful effect of working conditions on employees' health and work ability, and by a maximum of 10 hours per week. The schedule of working hours within the working week is determined by employers. Employers can also redistribute working time of employees such that in a period of 6 months their average is not longer than the contracted working time, when the nature of the activity requires it. In case of redistribution of working hours, working hours cannot last longer than 60 hours per week. Redistribution of working time is not considered overtime.
2026
2027
Employees in Serbia are entitled to paid annual leave of at least 4 weeks. Employees are also entitled to an additional 5 days of paid leave per year. They acquire the right to use annual leave in the calendar year after 1 month of continuous employment. Continuous work also includes the time of temporary incapacity for work. Annual leave can be used all at once or in 2 or more parts. If an employee uses annual leave in parts, the first part is used for at least 2 working weeks continuously during the calendar year, and the rest until June 30 of the following year at the latest. Employees cannot waive the right to annual leave, nor can that right be denied or replaced by monetary compensation, except in the case of termination of the employment relationship.
Employees are entitled to paid sick leave of up to 30 days a year. They must provide a medical certificate within 3 days from the end date of temporary incapacity. They are paid compensation for the leave as follows: General illness or injury - 65% of the average salary in the previous 12 months Injury at work or occupational disease - 100% of the average salary in the previous 12 months.
Serbia grants a maternity and childcare leave totaling 365 days, starting at the earliest 45 days, and, as necessary, 28 days before the expected date of childbirth. Maternity leave lasts up to 3 months from the day of childbirth. If a mother is unable to take leave or dies, the father of the child becomes eligible for the leave. Maternity leave is still granted in case of stillbirth, or the child dies before the end of the maternity leave. During maternity leave and childcare leave, an employed woman, or the father of a child, has the right to compensation equal to the average salary in the last 18 months. The minimum maternity benefit is the minimum monthly wage. Pregnant employees have the right to paid leave from work during the day in order to perform health examinations related to pregnancy, provided they inform their employers in a timely manner. They cannot be employed at night, in overtime work, or in jobs that endanger their life.
In Serbia, fathers are entitled to 5 days of paid paternity leave. They also become eligible for unused maternity leave in case of their wife's inability to care for the child because of illness or death during childbirth or maternity leave.
In Serbia, an employee may terminate the employment contract by giving at least 15 days' notice to the employer, but not more than 30. An employer may terminate an employment contract by giving notification in writing with the reason for termination and advice on the legal remedy. If the employment is terminated due to lack of performance or skills, the employee must be given advance notice of at least 8 days. If the employer issues a warning to the employee that states that failure to comply with the quality and efficiency of the work, which includes instructions and a deadline to improve, the employer may terminate without notice after the deadline written on the warning within 6 months. In case of economic redundancy, no notice is required, but employees are paid severance.
Employees who are made redundant are entitled to severance pay in the amount of at least 1/3 of the average earnings over the last 3 months for each year of service. Work for a predecessor employer (in the case of acquisition) is included in the years of service. No severance is paid for those dismissed for personal reasons. Employees who retire are also paid severance in the form of 2 times their average monthly salary.
Serbia's Institute for Social Insurance provides retirement (old-age) pension to insured members. It is mandatory for all employers to register their employees in the Pension and Disability Insurance scheme. Both employees and employers pay contributions. Insured persons acquire the right to an old-age pension when they reach 65 years of age with at least 15 years of insurance coverage or at any age with 45 years of insurance coverage. As an exception, a female employee acquires the right to an old-age pension when she reaches 64 years of age in 2026 (gradually increasing to 65 years by 2032). Insured members can take early retirement when they reach 60 years of age with at least 40 years of insurance coverage. The amount of pension is determined by multiplying the personal points by the value of the general point on the day the rights are exercised. The amount of the early old-age pension is determined in the same way as the amount of the old-age pension, permanently reduced by 0.34% for each month before reaching the age of 65, and can be reduced by a maximum of 20.4%.
Serbia's Institute of Social Insurance grants family pension to dependents of deceased insured persons who were entitled to old-age or disability pension or had completed at least 5 years of insurance or was a beneficiary of old-age or disability pension. Dependents include spouses, common-law partners, children and parents of the deceased, provided they fulfill the eligibility requirements. The family pension is determined from the old-age or disability pension that would belong to the insured person at the time of death. It is paid as 70% for 1 survivor, 80% for 2 survivors, 90% for 3 survivors, and 100% for 4 or more survivors.
Serbia's Institute of Social Insurance grants disability pension to insured persons who have a complete loss of working ability under the following circumstances: If the disability is caused by an injury at work or an occupational disease If the disability is caused by an injury outside of work or an illness, the loss of working capacity must have occurred before reaching retirement age, and 5 years of insurance experience must have been completed. An insured person whose disability, caused by an illness or injury outside of work, occurred before reaching the age of 30, is entitled to a disability pension if they have 1 to 3 years of insurance coverage, depending on their age. An insured person is also entitled to monetary compensation if bodily damage caused by a work-related injury or occupational disease reaches at least 30%. The amount of pension is determined by multiplying the personal points by the value of the general point on the day the rights are exercised.
Personal income tax is levied on both residents and non-residents. Residents are taxed on their income earned from sources in Serbia as well as abroad. Non-residents must pay tax only on their income from sources in Serbia. The tax year is the same as the calendar year. The tax rates are flat based on the type of income, 10% or 20%. Annual tax is an additional tax in Serbia that is levied on both residents and non-residents whose income exceeds 3 times the average annual salary in Serbia. The tax rate is 10% for income up to 6 times the average annual salary and 15% on income above that.
Serbia issues the following types of visa for entry:
The validity of the visas cannot be extended except in cases of force majeure.
Serbia allows visa-free entry to holders of foreign national passports who have a valid Schengen visa, a visa of Great Britain and other member states of the European Union, or a visa of the United States of America, as well as for holders of foreign national passports that have a regulated stay in Schengen zone countries, European Union member states or the United States of America.
Foreign citizens who are employed in Serbia must obtain a residence permit and work permit unless an international agreement stipulates otherwise. They may be employed in Serbia only if they hold a long-stay visa for employment or have approved temporary or permanent residence, and have been issued a single (unified) residence and work permit, which authorizes them to live and work in the country. A work permit can be issued as a personal work permit or a work permit. A personal work permit is a work permit that enables a foreign national to freely employ, self-employ, and exercise unemployment rights. It is issued if the foreign national has a permanent residence permit, has refugee status, or belongs to a special category. A personal work permit is issued in cases determined by an international agreement and is valid for the period that the foreign national's ID is valid. A work permit is a type of work permit issued as: Work permit for employment Work permit for special cases of employment (can include foreign nationals engaged as experts, intra-company transferees, independent professionals, or individuals coming for training or professional development Work permit for self-employment A foreign national with a work permit can only perform the jobs for which they have received a permit in Serbia. Students who are foreign nationals may obtain a work permit as long as the employer follows the requirements listed above. However, the student may not work more than 20 hours a week or 80 hours a month while school is in session. Employers who have their headquarters in a member state of the European Union, the European Economic Area, or the Swiss Confederation may send an employee who is not an EU citizen to work without a work permit, provided that the employee has a valid residence and work permit for the member state in which the employer is headquartered.
